Behaviour disorder in an adolescent with terminal deletion of chromosome 3.

Christian et al. (1997) wrote up one teenage boy who had a rare genetic change. The youth had the very end of chromosome 3 missing.

Doctors noticed he was banging his head and biting himself more and more. The paper simply tells the story of these worsening behaviors.

The teen’s self-injury grew fast once the deletion showed up. Skills he once had began to slip away at the same time.

No treatment data are given; the report only maps how bad things got.

Fabbretti et al. (1997) trained staff in the same year and cut behavioral incidents in their unit. Their work shows severe behavior can be turned down when you act early.

Lambert et al. (2021) later used short discrimination drills after FCT and kept problem behavior near zero. That study gives you a clear ABA tool, while L et al. just wave a warning flag.

O'Reilly et al. (2008) proved that five minutes of free access to the reinforcer before play can act like an “off switch” for problem behavior. Their data say you can ease crises even when genes are rough.

If you see a teen with terminal 3q deletion, plan for tough self-injury before it blooms. Start a full behavior plan while skills are still there. Pair the case warning with tools from staff-training or brief abolishing-operation sessions shown in nearby studies. Early, active ABA may keep the slide from looking like this boy’s story.